About this project

This story begins six years ago when I, tired from all the global cretinism,
decided to create a universal fable about human conflicts and enigmatic mystifying eyes that watch everything. After some months devoted to materializing this idea, the short film Bendito Machine premiered at festivals all over the world, receiving support that exceeded all my expectations. What I originally envisioned as a therapy to channel all that accumulated displeasure, turned out to be (thanks to the friendly welcome of the Internet world) the seed of an uncommon animation series which has occupied quite a sizeable part of my last six years.

For those unfamiliar to Bendito Machine, it is a show which reflects on the innocence of a small, naive and clumsy species that cannot live without their machines, and which is guided by small, enlightened greedy bastards, who believe they have the answers to everything. In fact, this project would not be possible without the brainlessness of this greedy 1%. Let’s be thankful to them.

Bendito Machine is a show that covers many topics and contains situations recognizable in every corner of the world, displayed in a primitive way without dialogs. The ebb and flow of this clumsy species, which lives adrift in a vast and mysterious universe, might look pretty familiar to you.

Take a look at this "Carmenianan" summary of the previous episodes:

The visual inspiration behind these stories originates from the magnificent films by Lotte Reiniger, Michel Ocelot, and especially from the ancient shadow theater of Indonesia (Wayang Kulit), a popular entertainment meant to guide and enlighten the audience through tales of great battles, mythology, religion and popular satire. Stories that try to chase away demons and reflect our habits, something that is perfectly suitable to our times, especially for chasing away demons.

In recent years, Bendito Machine has received 25 international awards and has been seen by more than half a million people through the Internet alone, as well as being screened in recognized festivals all over the world. The course of Bendito Machine has been very exciting, from a Norwegian school using the films to discuss conflict and resolution among children aged 11, until to be screened at the wonderful draw-bridges of Saint Petersburg (Russia), among other things.

The wonderful Multivision Film Festival in St. Petersburg (Rusia)

In the same spirit that characterizes the series, the next episodes will follow the trail of their predecessors, reflecting on trascendency, fear, death, enlightened cretinism and obviously, a lot of machines, as well as important issues such as sacred sex, drugs, dreams, music, bar codes or life on other planets.

Along with the release of this project in Kickstarter, we are also releasing the fourth episode of Bendito Machine, which you can see in glorious HD, and for free right here:

Today, the series consists of four episodes, which together add up to 27 minutes, but the production of these four episodes hasn’t been easy at all. Achieving the support needed to fund the project by conventional means turned out to be an impossible task, basically because Bendito Machine is a series inherent to the Internet.

Taking advantage of my free time and my own resources, I’ve been premiering each episode without the continuity I would have liked. Almost three years have passed between the third and the fourth chapter we just released these days, and in fact, this is something we now want to exorcise.

Some years ago, I started reading about the concept of crowdfunding, until one day I was illuminated and shouted: Holy Kickstarter!

Thanks to that enlightening moment, the Bendito Machine project began to contemplate a realistic way for funding its production. The great advantage, in case of reaching our goal, is that we can count on the collaboration of a glorious team that would give, over one year, the continuity the series deserves. This team includes professionals in each of the areas necessary for the whole production.

The holy money raised in this Kickstarter campaign will cover the full production of the next two episodes, which we require to accomplish the first and somewhat delayed second season. Once these two are released, we will produce a third special episode, premiered exclusively for our Kickstarter supporters. That means an approximate total of 20 minutes of animation.

What’s more, we expect to develop the blueprint for an enigmatic and mind-blowing Bendito video game which is already floating in our heads!

Our production team is located between Barcelona, Madrid, the Mediterranean island of Mallorca, and New York. In Spain we will develop the overall production, such as scripts, design, animation, sound and post-production, while in New York the genius of Sxip Shirey will be responsible for creating the original music. Here you can see a video of Sxip in action:

The production timeline per episode will be around two to three months and, if all goes as planned, production will begin in September 2012 and would last until June/July 2013. Through our blog and website you will be able to follow the production progress and receive all kinds of parallel audiovisual stimuli.

We also count with the incredible support of the International Market of Animation, Videogames and New Media, 3D Wire, responsible for the online magazine 3dwire.es, dedicated exclusively to the promotion of animation and video games.

For this occasion, we decided to create a line of rewards related to the design of the series and providing a variety of colours and styles suited to this blessed next summer season.

On the one hand you will find classical and indispensable articles, like a pack of colorful badges, stickers to delight your favorite machine, exclusive posters only for the Kickstarter disciples, a sleek rubber stamp to bless your documents with style, and fancy T-shirts to protect your torso from our beloved star, the sun.

Another of our rewards [BASIC KIT] is associated with the development of a special Bendito Machine episode. This chapter will be an alternative story within the universe of BM, and the Associate Producers will have access to an exclusive online preview, before its official release. Moreover, the name of each Associate Producer will appear in the credits, one by one and in big letters on animated full screen. It could look something like this:

What’s more, you will have the opportunity to introduce yourself, literally, into the world of Bendito Machine. Send us a picture of your profile, like our friend John Dilworth did, and you will appear as a Bendito Extra in one of the upcoming episodes.

Also, if you like, you could choose a holy tattoo reward, designed and customized with all my love, or have exclusive access through a shared folder on Dropbox to experience all the different production stages of the upcoming episodes, with anticipated unreleased material, storyboards, animation tests, designs, music of the series and a selection of colorful and unique stuff that I will be pleased to share with the blessed backers of this almighty reward.

Finally, if your wallet doesn’t tremble, you will have the option of being a Co-Producer of Bendito Machine and receive, in addition to all of the above, an exclusive hand-drawn illustration with the subject of your preference. If you have the chance to be on spanish ground, I would be very pleased to meet with you in person at any time and spend some quality time talking about the cosmos, enjoying some good food and the Mediterranean Sea (accommodation included).

We would love you to be a part of our Bendito family and to contribute to the upcoming episodes of our mechanical brotherhood. Thanks for stopping by :)

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $5 or more
About $5

[GIVE ME FIVE] You'll receive an appealing PDF file filled with HIGH QUALITY BENDITO MACHINE ARTWORK to use it any way you want + WALLPAPERS for your desktop, smartphone and tablet. You'll also receive a special THANK YOU CREDIT on our website.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $25 or more
About $25

[DECAL PIN KIT] You'll get the full pack of 10 fancy STICKERS to tack on your fridge, your car or your favorite machine + the full pack of 6 exquisite BADGES with different colors and designs. PLUS a digital PDF with high quality Bendito Artwork to print at home. It includes all of the above as well.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $35 or more
About $35

[BASIC KIT] This is our BASIC KIT, including all of the above + an exclusive preview of the finished episodes before the official release and your name as an Associate Producer in big letters on full animated screen at the end of the extra episode.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $65 or more
About $65

[HOLY GEAR 2] Includes the Basic Kit + the full season of the Bendito Machine series on our special BLU-RAY EDITION, including the extra special episode and bonus material (the Blu-ray will be delivered after finishing the full season).

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $130 or more
About $130

NEW REWARD!
[HOLY TRIPLE] Includes ONE T-shirt / ONE Poster PLUS a limited edition DVD with the whole season and extra material. Choose between 6 different designs for poster and T-shirt. Includes all of the above excluding the Stamp. (the DVD will be delivered after finishing the full season)

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $200 or more
About $200

[HOLY GUACAMOLE!] This one is the most. Including the Basic Kit + T-Shirt + Poster + Special Edition Blu-ray. Let’s say, all of the above excluding the Stamp (the Blu-ray will be delivered after finishing the full season).

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $250 or more
About $250

[HOLY CAMEO] This is a special one. Send us a picture of your profile and we’ll create a BENDITO CHARACTER based on your best side. You'll uncover yourself as an animated cameo in one of the upcoming episodes. Includes the HOLY GUACAMOLE! KIT as well (the Blu-ray will be delivered after finishing the full season).

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $500 or more
About $500

[HOLY SACRED BOX] Take part in the different production stages with access to storyboards, layouts, designs, work in progress and a lot of exhilarating, provoking and refreshing digital goods, shared through a private folder on DROPBOX. Includes the HOLY GUACAMOLE! KIT and the HOLY CAMEO as well (the Blu-ray will be delivered after finishing the full season).

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $1,000 or more
About $1,000

[ALMIGHTY MACHINE] We praise your loving ideals of justice, fairness and consumption. This amount will give you CO-PRODUCER CREDIT for the upcoming episodes PLUS an original and personalized hand drawn illustration, created by the maker of Bendito Machine. Includes all the holiness from above (excluding the Limited Edition Rubber Stamp / The Blu-ray will be delivered after finishing the full season).

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $2,000 or more
About $2,000

[DEUS EX MACHINA] You are the chosen one. You'll receive all of the above + credits as an EXECUTIVE PRODUCER of the show. Also, if you are around Spain or we can bring our souls together in communion, we will share a sacred lunch or dinner courtesy of Zumbakamera and spend some quality time. Accommodation included if you come to Mallorca, Madrid or Barcelona (Please plan on scheduling the event with us / Excluding the Limited Edition Rubber Stamp / The Blu-ray will be delivered after finishing the full season).